Combine mounted grain dryer



July 2, 1963 E. w. LANE 3,096,165

COMBINE MOUNTED GRAIN DRYER Filed Sept. 21, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 as /7 a Q 5 F 7 25/4 Z4- 6 0 34 INVENTOR.

l EUGENE LANE ATTORNEYS July 2, 1963 E. w. LANE 3,096,165

COMBINE MOUNTED GRAIN DRYER Filed Sept. 21, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a FIG. 5 L; 24 30 5 l9 6 23 M n, 2/ 1 M 3k 22 2 [OI-1 I l w I I' l 9 A x wax a, /5 w, /3

INVENTOR.

EUGENE WLANE AT TORN E'Y5 3,696,165 COMBINE MOUNTED GRAIN DRYER Eugene W. Lane, Kensal, N. Dak. (27350 Base Line, Highland, Calif.) Filed Sept. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 57,560 1 Claim. (Cl. 34-183) My invention relates generally to grain drying devices and more particularly to power operated devices of this type.

Still more specifically my invention relates to grain drying attachments for internal combustion engine-equipped grain harvesting and threshing machines, known as combines.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of a grain dryer attachment of the type immediately above described which derives its source of power, as well as its source of heat, from the internal combustion engine of the combine.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the class above described which may be interposed in the grain discharge line of a combine in overlying relationship to the storage hopper thereof, whereby the dried grain being discharged from the grain dryer is fed by gravity directly into the hopper.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a grain drying attachment of the class above described which is inexpensive to produce, is rugged and durable in construction, and is highly efdcient in its operation.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a device or" the kind above described which is easy to attach to and remove from a conventional combine.

The above and still further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claim and attached drawrugs.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a View in perspective of a conventional internal combustion engine equipped combine, showing my novel drying attachment in operative position thereon;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of my novel grain drying attachment, some parts being broken away and some parts being shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a view in end elevation of the structure of FIG. 2 as shown from left to right;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section as seen from the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view in vertical section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view in vertical section as seen substantially from the line 66 of FIG. 2.

Referring with greater particularly to the drawings the numeral 1 indicates in its entirety a conventional combine the grain discharge conduit of which is identified by the numeral 2, the grain storage hopper by the numeral 3, and the internal combustion engine thereof by the numeral 4.

My novel grain drying attachment is identified in its entirety by the numeral 5 and includes a horizontally disposed cylindrical drying chamber 6 which is provided with a radially opening grain inlet 7 adapted to have telescoping relationship with the lower end 8 of the discharge conduit or leg 2 of the combine 1. Extending axially through the cylindrical drying chamber 6 is a rotary shaft 9, one end of which is journalled in a suitable bearing 10 in the inner end wall 11 and the opposite end of which is journalled as at 12 in the outer end wall 13 of an axially extended portion 14 of the drying chamber 6. At its extreme inner end the shaft 9 is provided with a sprocket 15 which is made fast thereon. In order to impart rota- 3, 0%,1 Patented July z, 1963 tion to the shaft 9, a link chain 16 is shown as entrained over the sprocket 15 and thence over spoeket 17. Sprocket 17 is driven by mechanism 17 driving the grain elevator 2' associated with the grain discharge conduit 2. Such mechanism is conventional in nature with combine equipment and therefore is not shown and described in detail. Fast on the shaft 9 within the cylindrical drying chamber 6 is a conventional helical flight screw conveyor 18.

For a purpose which will hereinafter be explained in detail, the screw conveyor 18 is provided with circumferentially spaced axially extended agitator-retarder blades 19 which span the fights thereof. As shown, the radially outer limits of the agitator blades 19 cor-respond generally to the radially outer limits of the flights of the conveyor 18, whereas the radially inner edges 20 thereof are spaced from the shaft 9 and define grain passages 21 therebetween.

The extended portion 14 associated with the drying chamber 6 comprises an upwardly opening side wall 22 and said generally vertical end wall 13. The upper open end of the side wall 22 defines .and overflow outlet 23, whereas, the lower wall thereof is provided with a normally closed clean-out door 24. The normal discharge outlet of grain from the drying chamber 6 is located in the end wall 13 above the shaft 9, but downwardly spaced with respect to the overflow outlet 23, and is indicated by the numeral 25.

As shown particularly in FIGS. 2 and 4, a generally cylindrical jacket 26, concentric with the drying chamber 6 but outwardly spaced with respect thereto, cooperates with the drying chamber 6 to define an annular plenum 27. Plenum 27 is airtight with the exception of its gas inlet conduit 28 and the gas outlet conduit 29. As shown particularly in FIG. 2, the gas inlet and outlet conduits 28, 29 are located in the end of plenum 27 adjacent the grain inlet 7 and are in diametrically spaced relationship to each other, the gas inlet conduit 28 entering the lower portion of the plenum 27 at a position annularly displaced with respect to a vertical line drawn through the axis thereof in the direction of rotation of the screw conveyor, said direction being indicated by arrows in FIG. 4.

Defining a serpentine path for gases passing through the plenum 2'7 are circumferentially spaced axially extended baffle means 30, the particular arrangement of which is designed to cause a maximum of the heated exhaust gases entering the plenum 27 from the intake conduit 28 to be impinged against the exterior surface 31 of the cylindrical heating chamber 6 immediately underlying the path which the majority of grain A within the drying chamber 6 is caused to assume by the screw conveyor 18 and the agitator-retarder blades 19 carried thereby, again see particularly FIG. 4. Specifically this arrangement is as follows: On opposite sides of the gas inlet conduit 28 are bafiles 32 and 33, the former of which abuts at its inner end against the end wall 34 of the plenum 27 and the latter of which is spaced from the end wall 34 to define therebetween and said end wall an air passage 35. In like manner each alternate bafile 30 is spaced from an opposite end wall 36 of the plenum 27 whereby, as above indicated, a serpentine path for the gases passing through the plenum 27 is defined, each flight of said path being from end wall to end Wall thereof. The specific arrangement, of course, splits the gas into separate streams going in opposite directions about the plenum until the discharge passage 29 is reached. However, it is obvious that the greatest amount of heat is caused to impinge upon the exterior surface 31 of the heating chamber 6 immediately underlying the path of travel of the grain A therethrough, as above described.

As shown in FIG. 1, a source of hot gas for passage through the plenum 27, for the purpose of imparting heat Operation Grain A entering the heating chamber 6 through the grain inlet 7 is rotated in a clockwise direction by the screw conveyor 18 and the agitator-retarder blades 19. The blades 19 not only tend to retard the progress of the grain A through the chamber 6 but tend to retain same in contact with the wall thereof in the area of greatest heat concentration. The path of travel of the grain A through the chamber 6 is substantially that shown in FIG. 4. The heated and dried grain being discharged from the outlet end of the drying chamber 6 is caused to gather in the extended portion 14- in order to further retard passage of the grain through the drying chamber 6, the grain discharge outlet 25 in the wall 13 is positioned above the level of the shaft 9. In view of the fact that, as shown in FIG. 1, my novel dryer overlies the open-topped storage hopper 3, grain A being discharged from the outlet 25 falls into the hopper 3 under the action of gravity. In the event of too great a supply of grain A being fed into the drying chamber 6, the same may accumulate in the extended portion 14 faster than can be discharged from the outlet 25. In this case such grain may overflow through the opening 23. Obviously, when it is desired to completely clean out the grain accumulated in the extended portion l4 the clean-out door 24 may be utilized.

My invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be entirely satisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects and while I have shown a preferred embodiment thereof, I Wish it to be understood that same is capable of modification without departure from the scope and spirit of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A grain dryer for use with an internal combustion engine-equipped combine, said dryer comprising a horizontally disposed cylindrical drying chamber adapted to be interposed in the grain discharge line of said combine, a screw conveyor extending axially through said drying chamber and journalled for rotation with respect thereto, a radially inwardly opening grain inlet adjacent one end a of said drying chamber, a generally cylindrical jacket in outwardly spaced concentric relation to said drying chamber and defining therewith an axially elongated annular plenum, a gas inlet communicating with the lower end of said plenum in the end thereof adjacent the grain inlet, a diametrically opposed gas outlet leading from said plenum, axially extended circumferentially spaced bafli'le means within said plenum defining a serpentine path for gasses passing from said gas inlet to said gas outlet, said drying chamber being axially extended at its discharge end beyond said screw conveyor and including an upwardly opening overflow-outlet defining side Wall and a generally vertical end Wall, said end wall defining an axially directed normal grain outlet above the axis of rotation of said screw conveyor, but below the lower limits of said overflow outlet, the lower portion of said side wall being formed to define a clean-out door.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 825,905 Hellyer July 17, 1906 1,748,519 Normandeau Feb. 25, 1930 1,858,796 Wilcoxson May 17, 1932 2,946,572 Annis July 26, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,086 Germany Nov. 18, 1879 20,063 Great Britain Aug. 29, 1910 

